Do you have the experience and expertise to make a difference to the lives of people who have been homeless? Do you have the determination and resolve to sustain you through challenging and demanding situations? If you do we have a vacancy that meets your profile.

News has just come through that Restore has won it’s housing benefits case appealing against a decision by City of York Council to withhold part of the payment that our tenants are entitled to have.

After seven months the judge has ruled in favour of one of our tenants and the judgment is expected to be applied to all the others who are affected.

This is excellent news for them and for Restore and it will allow us to press ahead with our plans for the future in the knowledge that we are permitted to house people in what is defined as exempt accommodation.

We are aware that a lot of people have been watching this case, not least our partners in housing homeless people in York who rely on Restore to provide homes for people who need to move on from temporary accommodation. We have also been supported by our many people who have made substantial contributions to our funds and added their prayers and encouragement as we have fought this long battle.

There remain some further negotiations with the Benefits Department of CoYC please pray that they will be more straightforward now we have this decision in our favour.

Thank you to everyone who helped with this case – and especially to God for answering prayer.

Urgent appeal for donations.

I am writing this because of an urgent need for funds and I want our supporters to know how to help us at this critical time.

A success story – but one that is under threat

We are as committed as ever to our goal of providing homes for people in the City of York who are homeless or at risk of being without somewhere to live and of providing the on-going support that our tenants need to turn their lives around. The germ of an idea that was planted in late 2010 has now grown into one of the biggest providers of supported accommodation in the city and we are proud to say that we are now providing a home for twenty six people in seven houses. But our continued existence is now under threat.

An unprecedented decision

A couple of months ago, the City of York Council significantly reduced the amount of housing benefit paid to a large number of our tenants. This happened without warning and without any prior discussion taking place between the council and either Restore or the tenants affected. This means that many of our tenants are no longer receiving enough money to pay their rent in full. The council has told us that they no longer qualify to live in the kind of supported accommodation we provide and that they should move into cheaper accommodation without any support services. Overnight these tenants have been deemed to be no longer vulnerable. This will have serious consequences. If these individuals are forced to move now it is inevitable that many will resume a chaotic lifestyle which will be damaging to them and society in general.

A lengthy appeal process

We have supported all of these tenants in their appeals against this decision but so far have been unable to resolve the matter. The council have now decided to let it be decided by a tribunal, which could take between three to eight months to deliver its verdict. We have been assured by legal and housing experts that we are likely to win this appeal. But in the short term we have to live with this decision which has cut our income by about five thousand pounds a month. Moreover, mounting an appeal will inevitably involve us incurring significant legal costs if we are to ensure the council’s unprecedented decision is overturned.

Can you help?

Until this unexpected turn of events, a combination of rental income and donations meant that Restore not only had sufficient income to allow it operate effectively but also had a healthy reserve set aside to enable the charity to cover the cost of unexpected events. But now, more than ever, we need to draw on the faith and goodwill of our supporters if we are to continue to offer our tenants the support they need while awaiting the decision of the tribunal.

If you believe the work Restore is doing is valuable and should continue, please consider whether you are able to make a generous donation to our funds so that we can pursue this case, continue to house and support our vulnerable tenants, and maintain this important work.

Please give this appeal your careful consideration and feel free to contact me or any of the trustees if you want to ask any questions.

Restore, has been given a boost in its funds with a donation of £3,000 from York Residential Landlords Association. It came at the right time to meet the cost of modifying and equipping the charity’s 7th house which has just opened to tenants in the Foxwood area of the city.

Restore depends on the generous giving of its supporters to supplement rental income to meet the cost of running its services. [Read more…]

Thank you for your continued interest and support for Restore during 2013. It has been a year of amazing growth demonstrating God's faithfulness in the work he has asked to do to help homeless people in York. Read our latest newsletter here

We are interested in leasing properties on long (6 yr min) leases to provide shelter and security for people who would otherwise be homeless.

We have a good track record of managing and maintaining properties in this sector and supporting tenants who need some extra help to get back on their feet. We aim to offer short term tenancies to people many landlords find too challenging and risky to accommodate. We are particularly interested in small HMOs but will consider obtaining permission to convert an existing family house.

If you have a vacant property that we could lease please get in touch with Barrie Stephenson, Chairman, Restore (York) Ltd Tel: 07885297669 Email: barrie@restoreyork.co.uk

Sheila successfully completed the half marathon – and she was back at work in York this morning. This what she had to say.

‘13.1 miles and 2 hours, 3 minutes and 50 seconds later, I completed my first ever half marathon! It was tough at points but very enjoyable and a great feeling afterwards! Thank you so much to all who’ve supported me – it spurred me on at mile 9 when I was struggling!’

The latest total on Sheila’s Charitygiving page is more than £880 – and if you still haven’t got round to sponsoring her it not too late. Just click the link above.
A huge thank you to Sheila – what a way to start a new job – and thank you to all of her supporters. Your donations to help homeless people in York are really appreciated.
————
Our new staff member, Sheila Gregson, hits the road running in the Half Marathon of the North in Sunderland to raise money for Restore. When I asked her if she’d run a half marathon before she said “No”, but she’s been training hard and all set to go on Sunday 28th April. It’s easy to support her. Click here to put a spring in her strides.

A new scheme to help rough sleepers find a bed has been launched in York. Agencies involved in No Second Night Out are pooling their resources to identify all the bed spaces available to rough sleepers. It makes the most out of existing provision by clearing the information through one point of access.

No Second Night Out (NSNO) is linked to Streetlink and a single reporting line – 0300 500 0914 – for the whole country. Anyone from York calling the number will be diverted through to local project workers. Members of the public are also encouraged to use the number to report the whereabouts of people they see who are sleeping rough. Reports can also be made through the website and a smartphone app. Outreach workers will then seek them out to offer assistance. The service is primarily to help people who are new to the streets. It is inevitable that there are entrenched rough sleepers who are already known to homeless and resettlement services that will more difficult to place.

Anyone reporting a rough sleeper will be offered an update a few days later to let them know how the situation was resolved.

The new service was launched by The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, at the Salvation Army in York on Monday 7th January 2013. The invited guests were given an overview of the scheme by Helen Loosemore of Homeless Link and Becky Ward of City of York Council Homeless Services. The Archbishop, who was the sponsor of the York Fairness Commission, spoke of the need for justice for the most vulnerable people in our society. He observed that NSNO was based on people making connections. He concluded by asking all present to link hands to demonstrate the need for good connections to meet the needs of rough sleepers in the city.

Earlier Becky Ward, the author of York’s Homelessness Strategy, said that NSNO was step to ending rough sleeping in York, although due to recent spending restrictions the small number of known rough sleepers in the city had risen since 2010.

Now that the service has launched Restore will be looking at ways of engaging faith communities in York in the scheme.

The cost of bringing a new property into use to provide for homes for homeless people has been met by a generous two thousand pound (£2,000) donation from York Residential Landlords Association.

In addition some of its members have offered services to the Charity that might otherwise have been expensive to obtain.

The gift came after Restore was invited to a meeting of landlords to explain our work with people who are homeless or in danger of being so. We explained that Restore currently provides supported housing in four properties in York for 16 people and employs a Development and Support Officer and a team of volunteers who look after the needs of both tenants and properties.

Restore (York) Ltd was formed as an incorporated Charity in December 2010 and opened it’s first house for four men in July 2011. The charity came into being through the vision and work of a small group of Christians in a number of churches in York. It depends heavily on the charitable giving of individuals, churches and organisations. Their generosity enables Restore to make plans to expand it’s service to meet the needs of homeless people from York.

Whilst York has good processes in place to deal with homelessness latest figures show that about 60 people are in temporary hostels at any one time. These are the kind of people for whom Restore seeks to provide a more permanent home. Restore also provides the support they need to maintain their tenancies and help them deal with the issues that may have caused them to be homeless in the first place.

Barrie Stephenson, the chairman of Restore York Ltd, said, “This open hearted gesture from the members of York Residential Landlords Association is very reassuring. They understand the challenges of providing rented accommodation but recognise that within the framework of their businesses they are unable to provide the support some people need to maintain their tenancies. Their recognition of the work Restore is doing in the city has provided us with some vital funds and access to expertise that will allow us to expand our provision. We are very grateful and look forward to the support of YRLA in the future.”